Car-door.



PATENTED' JUNE 9, 1908. E. B. GILLBLAND.

GAR DOOR. ALPPLIOATION IILED MAY 11, 1907.

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No. 890,562. PATENTED JUNE 9., 1908.

E. B. GILLBLAND.

GAR DOOR. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 11, 1907.

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No. 890,562. PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908. E. B. GILLELAND. GAR DOOR APPLIOATION FILED MAY 11, 1907.

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W1 in eases attozwugo UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR B. GILLELAND, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL RAILWAY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

CAR-DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1908.

Application filed May 11, 1907. Serial No. 373,110.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR B. GILLELAND, citizen of the United States, residing at J ackson, in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Doors, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention appertains to doors for freight cars such as intended chiefiy for hauling grain or other commodity in bulk,

the primary object being to devise a closure which will at all times maintain a close joint to prevent waste of the material and which will admit of the door being opened without necessitating mutilation, defacing, or other wise injuring either the door or its facing, or parts bordering upon the door opening.

The invention has for its further object novel means of hanging the door by means of rods or supports suspended at their upper ends to the upper casing of the door, said rods being engaged by eyes or other suitable bearings attached to the door and the rods serving as guides or ways upon which the door can he slid upwardly as well as swung into an elevated position to the roof of the car, the guide rods serving the purpose of holding the door at any point of suspension when used in connection with any suitable locking device, locking the same to the rods.

The invention further provides novel mounting for the door which, when the door is lowered, or closed, will retain the same securely in place and when the door is elevated a short distance, will permit of the said door clearing the guide-ways when guide-ways are used, and swinging inward and upward so as to be held against the roof of the car out of' the way. The door may be made square, if desired, and without the guide-ways.

The invention further contemplates novel lock means for securing the door at any elevation within the range of its vertical movements.

The invention further provides means of reducing the power required to raise the door when the caris loaded and the door is under outward pressure against the door posts of the car, this means consisting of metal tracks attached to the door and bearing against a metal plate attached to the inner surface of the door post, so as to reduce the friction to a minimum.

The invention further contemplates a novel form of hinge for fastening an overlapped section of the door in the lower section thereof in such a manner that while holding said doors firmly in proper upright position, it will allow the overlapped door to always hear frictionally upon the lower door, thereby making a tight joint.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings.

While the invention may be adapted to different forms and conditions by changes in the structure and minor details without departing from the spirit or essential features thereof, still the preferred embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a car door and mountings illustrating a portion of a car, demonstrating the application of the invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, on the line a30c of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view of the parts shown in Fig. 1 as seen from the interior of the car. Fig. 4. is a vertical transverse section on the line y-y of Fig. 1, the dotted lines showing the position of the door when swung upward beneath the roof of the car. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing a modification, opposite ends of the door being parallel, and interlocking strips being provided between the end portions of the door and the door j ambs to prevent longitu dinal displacement of the door. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of an end portion of the door, the inclined guide cooperating therewith and the lock means. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the hinge members for connecting the upper door section to the lower section, said members being separated. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the operating means for the cam levers and the lock means cooperating with said operating means. Fig. 9 is a detail view illustrating a modified form of locking device. Fig. 10 is a detail view of a modified form of locking device. Fig. 11 is a detail perspective view of the lock device for securing the operating bar in the adjusted position.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The invention is adapted most especially to doors of grain or box cars to admit of said doors being elevated and secured at the raised position while discharging the load and to be swung upward beneath the roof of the car in suspension to be out of the way when the car is emptied. In the drawings, the door opening 1 is bounded by the plate 2, door ambs 3 and floor or sill 4. The door 5 may be of any construction, either square or wedge shape, and is mounted to be raised to any position and secured at any elevated point, or to be swung out of the way, upward beneath the roof of the car as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4, a hook 6 engaging the lower edge of the door and having slidable connection with a carline, or other suit able support. Guide-ways 7 may be fitted to portions of the car bordering upon the door opening and may be inclined in which event, the door 5 will be approximately of wedge form so that when elevated a short distance, it will clear the inner confining flanges of the guide-ways and admit of the door being swung upward out of the way and secured in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4. The door is provided near its ends with metal tracks 8 which may be of T form or ribbed, and one or more used, said tracks being bolted or otherwise securely fastened to the door and arranged to bear trictionally on themetal plate on the door jarnb. The ends of the door may be parallel in which event, guide-ways will be dispensed with, but to prevent longitudinal displacement of the door, interlocking means or strips may be provided between the door and the door jambs as indicated most clearly in Fig. 5. The strip 9 secured to the inner side of each door jamb will be of channel formation or provided with ribs to cooperate with the ribs of the tracks 8 attached to the door, thereby preventing longitudinal movement of the door when subjected to pressure from within as when the car is loaded. The height of the door may be varied and for this purpose, a section 10 is hinged thereto and when not required for use, is turned down against the inner side of the door and reinforces the same. When turned into upright position, the section 10 alines with the door 5 and bears at all times frictionally upon it. A hinge connection is shown most clearly in Fig. 7 and comprises the members 11 and 12, the former having a slot 13 and the latter a pintle 14. The hinge members 11 are secured to the door 5, whereas the hinge members 12 are at tached to the upper door section 1.0 thereby admitting of the upper door section having a limited vertical movement and a swinging movement.

Guide rods 15 have pivotal connection at their upper ends with the plate 2 or upper portion of the car and pass through kee ers 16 secured to the upper corner portions 0 the door. The guide rods 15 may be pivotally ceases or hingedly connected to the upper portion of the car in any manner to admit of their swinging towards and from the door opening. Cam levers 17 are pivoted at or near their outer or cam ends to the keepers 16 and have an approximately horizontal arrangement, their cam ends 18 being arranged to bind against the guide rods 15 and hold the door at the required elevated position. If desired, the rods may run through two or more eyes or bearings 29 and the cam levers 80 be hinged to the door independent of the bearnection with the keeper 16 so as to release the guide and support rods 15, and upon moving the said bar or rod in an opposite 'di rection, the cam levers are caused to bind upon the guide rods 15 and secure the door 5 in the located position. The operating bar or rod 22 is slidable through a keeper 23 secured to the door and is provided at intervals in its length with openings 24 which are adapted to register with corresponding openings 25 in opposite sides of the keeper 23. A lock device cooperates with the keeper and operating bar or rod to secure the latter in adjusted position, said lock device consisting of a pin 26 and a handle 27, the latter normally hanging pendent to prevent disengagement of the pin 26 from the parts 22 and 23. A lateral projection 28 is formed at the outer end of the pin 26 and is in the plane of the handle 27. The openings 24 and 25 are transversely or horizontally elongated and correspond in sha e to the outline of the pin 26 and the latera projection 28 to admit of the pin and projection passing through the openings 24 and 25when the handle 27 is turned into horizontal position- As shown most clearly in Fig. 8, after the pin 26 has been passed through registering openings 24 and 25, and the handle 27 is turned into pendent osition, the projection 28 engages a side of t e keeper 23 and prevents displacement of the lock pin. To release the cam levers, it is necessary to swing the handle 27 of the lock pin into horizontal position and then move the same laterally to withdraw the pin 26 from engagement with the operating bar 22 and keeper 23, thus releasing said operating bar and admitting of its movement to operate the cam levers, whereby they release their grip upon the guide rods 15. As illustrated in Fig. 10, I may substitute for the locking rod 22 the locking rod 31, which is provided at its edges with oppositely inclined teeth 32, either set of which may be caused to engage with the keeper 23 so as to mally hang pendent and hold the lock pin in look the clutch levers at different positions.

When the car is empty and it is desired to have the door out of the way, it is preferably moved upward upon the guide and support rods 15 and secured by the cam lever after which the door is swung upward beneath the roof of the car and secured as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. l. When the door is in position to confine grain, lime, plaster, or the like, it occupies a vertical position and rests upon the lioor and against the inner sides of the door jambs, longitudinal displacement being guarded against b the guide-ways 7, when used. Should it be required to increase the height of the door, the section 10 hinged to the upper portion thereof is swung into vertical position. When the height of the door is ample, the extension 10 hangs pendent against the inner side thereof, and reinforces the door. When it is required to unload the car, the locking device is re leased and the door is lifted upward, said door being secured in any elevated position by the locking device, as will be readily understood.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a car door, the combination of a car door, supporting guide means therefor, look ing means for securing the door in an adjusted position, an operating bar for actuating the lock means provided in its length with a series of openings which are transversely elongated, a keeper secured to the door and having said operating bar slidable therein and provided in opposite sides with transversely elongated openings to register with any one of the series of openings formed in said operating bar, and a lock pin provided at one end with a handle adapted to norl operative position, and a projection at the opposite end of the lock pin to pass through registering openings of the keeper and operating bar and to be turned to sit cross-wise of said openings and prevent withdrawal of the 1n. p 2. In a car door, the combination of rods having pivotal connection at their upper ends with the car at or near the upper end of the door opening, a vertically slidable door, keepers secured to the upper corners of the door and having their inner sides open, said keepers receiving the aforesaid rods, oppositely disposed horizontal cam levers pivoted to the keepers and closing the open sides thereof and adapted to grip the said rods and secure the door in an adjusted position, the inner ends of said cam levers having longitudinal slots, an operating bar slidable upon the door and having a cross head at its upper end, headed projections applied to opposite ends of the cross head and operating in the slotted ends of the cam levers, said operating bar being provided with a series of transversely elongated openings, a keeper secured to the door and receiving said operating bar and having transversely elongated openings in opposite sides, and a lock pin having a projection at one end to pass through registering openings of the operating bar and keeper and to be turned to sit cross-wise of said openings to prevent displacement of the lock pin in one direction, and a handle at the opposite end of said lock pin to normally hang pendent.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDGAR B. GILLELAND.

Witnesses:

SUE KNICKERBOOKER, H. E. EDWARDS. 

